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Jorgenwyld
JORGENWYLD ‘Only the strongest are fit to live. Any who think otherwise are just fuel for the fire; weak, brittle and soon to be forgotten.’ Nickname: ‘The Barbarians’ Languages: Jorgensaald Population: Säuger 98%, Eluvian less than 1% and Drummon: 2% Government: Clannish Society lead by Bloodlord Leadership: Hoog-Bloodheer Korden of the Khorgen Cabalit Lifestyle: Semi Nomadic, Survivalist, warrior code ethos SOCIETY Often thought of as barbarians and savages, the Jorgenwyld lifestyle is as rich and complex as many of the more civilised cultures claim to be. Long ago the Jorgenwyld lived in small tribal groups, living off the land and raiding their neighbours for whatever was needed to survive. A strong warrior culture emerged from this lifestyle, where the strong won the right to rule and all others followed the one who could win the tribe the best food or spoils of war. Over the centuries, the Jorgenwyld people gradually changed from these solitary groups to larger groups or clans referred to as a Cabalit. Each Cabalit is led by a Bloodheer (Bloodlord) and is guided by the words of honoured elders or Vinas. Each of these people hold vital power and hold great importance to the generally nomadic people of the Jorgenwyld. It is the Bloodheer’s duty to provide food, warmth, wealth and protection for his people. Should he prove to be weak, he may be challenged to single combat to the death with the prize being the position itself. .Bloodheer are usually male. This is not to say that there are not or have not been females that have ascended to the ranks of such vaunted warriors - but on average men tend to be physically stronger than their female counterparts. However when compared to other nations, these women are more competent in combat than many a trained soldier. The Vinas have an equally vital role within the community. Their primary function is to look after the day to day running of the Cabalit as a whole. When problems arise between people that cannot be solved with simple blood sport or violence, it is the Vinas who are called upon to judge, their advanced years giving them foresight and clarity. In times of crisis it is the Vinas who are contacted to provide council to the Bloodheer, granting them their wisdom suitable for any situation. The Vinas are usually the eldest of the community having won battles and participated in many raids and lived. 31 In times where the Bloodheer is unavailable, the Vinas must lead for a period of 30 days and 30 nights. Should the Bloodheer not return within this time, the Vinas may elect a new Bloodheer who may be challenged as per the standard rules of the warrior code. Should the original Bloodheer return after this period, he or she has the right to challenge for their original position. While many outside the Jorgenwyld consider this to be an unfair and disloyal act, the Jorgenwyld laugh at this: In their eyes, if he wasn’t strong enough to defend the position he took, he has no business leading the people. The various Cabalit travel as mobile families, constantly on the move in search of fresher game and richer targets. The one place where the cultures of the world truly integrate is in the permanent citystronghold of Jomuur. The Hoog-Bloodheer (overlord) rules from his seat of power within Jomuur and all the guilds have large establishments there, mostly for housing the many staff required to visit the various Cabalit for their guild teachings. It is also customary for the Hoog-Bloodheer’s Cabalit to reside with him in Jomuur, acting as the Hoog-Bloodheer’s own personal army when required. The Cabalit enjoys tributes from the other Cabalit as a bonus for their good fortune. However once the Hoog-Bloodheer has been killed and a new one has been installed in his place, the Cabalit are moved on, usually to an unknown region using the portal stones. The Sauger of the Jorgenwyld are not an overly welcoming group at the best of times, but they have great respect for martial prowess. The Jorgenwyld continually fight off orax along their northern borders, and this experience shared with Drummon clans has led to a small number of Drummon families settling in this area of Jorgenwyld territories. Eluvian among the Jorgenwyld are rarer, but those few who prove of great worth to a Cabalit have been allowed to join. EDUCATION AND TRAINING Although it seems unlikely, the majority of Jorgenwyld people train their skills within the Guilds. Guild houses are present in the major city, and occasionally a guild teacher or small house may be found elsewhere. It took many years for the concepts of the Guilds and Guild training to become accepted by the Jorgenwyld at all. However, over time, foreign guild members proved that their skills were often superior to the Jorgenwyld people in any chosen field. At first a few brave Jorgenwyld chose to seek out training at the foreign guilds, hoping to improve their strength and skills and prove themselves better than their peers, as is the Jorgenwyld way. When these first few succeeded, more people sought out guild training until now it is an accepted form of training in the nation, although not every person may choose this path. There are many great teachers of the Armsmen guild who are from the Jorgen people. Martial abilities are prized most among the Jorgenwyld. Disputes are often settled with single combat. Every member of a Cabalit is taught at least the basics of fighting. It is one of the duties of the Bloodheer to oversee the blooding of each of the youths as they come of age in ritualised combat. This ceremony is conducted regardless of the primary training or gender of the youth – every member of the Cabalit must be able to defend themselves. It is not uncommon to see many young Jorgenwyld youths sporting scars they received as their initiation into adulthood. This ceremony is usually only held once the youth’s parents give consent that they are ready. LAW Having been firm believers in the mentality of the Survival of the Fittest, the Jorgenwyld have adopted a warrior’s code at the command of Hoog-Bloodheer Jeroen – the first and only time a non- Jorgenwyld Säuger has risen to such a rank. This code is now a defining feature of their culture and has allowed for them to exist within the world as a whole while retaining their individuality as a culture. The Warrior’s Code represents a series of transgressions that a member of a Cabalit can commit, from the lowest severity to the gravest of crimes. In order to stop the Jorgenwyld becoming no better than 32 the Orax menace, an emphasis was placed on curbing the Jorgenwyld lust for battle while maintaining their warrior spirit. Listed here is a list of potential transgressions from 1 (minor) to 9 (major). # Severity Wrongdoing Rationale: Killing for any reason other than survival. # Murder is for the weak Failing to answer a challenge Challenges cannot go unanswered. # Fleeing before an inferior enemy: Weak warriors do not deserve mercy allotted for their families. Show none. # Honour your word Lies are the tools of the weak # Killing worthless prey Only a fool wipes out a food source lest he starve in thewinter # Disobedience to your superiors If you are not the strongest, it is not your place to question those that lead. # Needless torture or cruelty We are warriors not savages. Even an enemy deserves a clean death. # Ignoring your fear A true warrior faces and acknowledges his fears, not pretends it does not exist # Not challenging a weak leader Only the strongest are fit to lead The Jorgenwyld people have no other written code of justice. Only the rule of the strong applies. When someone is accused of (or caught) committing an action that would be considered a crime, their accuser appeals to the Bloodheer or Vinas, as appropriate. Practically any crime, large or small, is punished with either corporal or capital punishment. The Jorgenwyld people have no time to waste with prisons and prisoners. Beatings and whippings may be applied for a small offence. Execution – by single combat to the death with the Bloodheer – is applied in serious cases. In rare circumstances exile from the clan may be applied instead (or in addition to a beating). In any case of accusation, the accused always has the right to challenge the accuser to single combat – usually to the death. After all, if a stronger man commits an act against a weaker man, it is his right to do so. Occasionally foreigners will be allowed to forgo the right of combat and get away with banishment instead of execution – but usually after a sound beating, so they do not forget the lesson. But this could be seen as a weakness in the Cabalit who chooses this path. RELIGION The Jorgenwyld people are not a very spiritual people. The gods are very much a part of the world, but the Jorgenwyld people have more immediate concerns – survival, bettering the Cabalit. There are almost no permanent Houses of the Orders in Jorgenwyld, except in Jomuur. A Jorgenwyld warrior or hunter will sometimes offer a prayer to the gods, but this is more likely to be a curse or a demand than begging for aid. They believe that the strong and skilled will earn the attention of the gods, but those who beg for such attention will be found unworthy. However, the Cabalit do often include shaman, those who learn to call on Rund, Dahr and Halb to support their people. The shaman performs religious ceremonies, prayers and blessings for the Cabalit, so most Jorgenwyld people believe they do 33 not need to worry about making prayers or offerings of their own, the shaman does it on their behalf. These individuals are said to have earned the favour of the gods somehow in their lives, and thus the gods listen to them particularly. Often a shaman will be chosen and apprenticed as a shaman at an early age when some omen (read by the Cabalit shaman or the Vinas) indicates the child is destined for this path. The shaman’s special connection with the gods is considered fortuitous for the Cabalit, so if one is not found when needed from within the clan it is taken as a sign of disfavour, and the Cabalit might go to great lengths to earn new favour, or even kidnap a blessed child from another tribe. MAGIC In general the Jorgenwyld people do not have an interest in magic, and magic services, items or effects are not often found among the Cabalit. The Cabalit do not usually rely on portal stones for travel, being accustomed to travelling long distances on foot. There are no permanent mage colleges or teaching structures, even in the capitol Jomuur. Jorgenwyld individuals do not often learn magic of any school, preferring physical power and training over control of esoteric energies. But there are always exceptions; from time to time a Jorgenwylder may learn magic in a foreign land, and perhaps teach others in a master and apprentice relationship. TRADE AND INDUSTRY When it comes to the concept of trade, some Jorgenwyld find the practice of currency and goods trading difficult, not understanding why anyone would want give something to someone else when they could just take what they can carry in a raid. However those who have taken up the Merchant’s path can see that there is power the currency. Between meetings of Cabalits it is usual to trade and barter for goods lest they end up in a fight that could result in either the destruction of individual or entire Cabalit. NAMES AND LANGUAGE The Jorgenwyld people have raided many civilizations, and in a few cases totally wiped out whole tribes and peoples over the centuries. Along the way they have adopted a little language and customs from conquered people. The written language of the Jorgenwyld people is one such prize, although the spoken language is much older. The Jorgenwyld people prefer to use their own language among the Cabalit, and only grudgingly use Creole or a foreign language when dealing with strangers. Jorgenwyld people have a personal name, and identify themselves proudly by their Cabalit as a surname. Personal names can be passed from father to son and mother to daughter, but otherwise the individual family is not connected by name. Names have meaning of skills, talents, or are the names of heroes of the past. Example names (male): Angrim, Angantyr, Dagny, Egilaz, Gunnar, Halfdan, Jan, Ongen, Rerir, Example names (female): Agathe, Agilruna, Edda, Froja, Holga, Ronja, Signy, Svanilde, Vilija Cabalit examples: Jagare, Krigar, Rovjur, Varumarke, Valdigt, DRESS The Jorgenwyld wear clothes made mostly from coarse cloth of wools or similar and animal skins. Women, with the help of children, make the wool into yarn and use natural dyes from plants to give it colour. The woollen cloth is woven on looms. The Jorgenwyld also hunt and kill animals and use the animal furs for warmth and decoration, as well as other practical applications for leathers. 34 HISTORY Much of the past of the Jorgenwyld is tied up in folklore and superstition passed down from elder to child. As a person becomes one of the Vinas, it is expected that they will learn and carry on the oral tradition of storytelling, and educate the children of their clan. In this way, through the great changes that have arrived as part of the conquests of the Jorgenwyld, their history has grown with them. The earliest stories refer to the time before the red sky – an event that can be traced throughout the rest of the world. The Vinas will often tell tales of great battles fought before the Jorgenwyld became one people. During this time, they fought only against themselves and against great flying beasts, referred to now as the Haohaer, although the creatures have several names in the legends. There is no single description for these creatures – they have been described as both large and small, have had a variety of abilities from lightning pouring from their wings to screeching so loud that it shatters mountains to all manner of Sauger destroying properties. The only things that the tales agree upon is that they all could fly and they all made a terrible noise. According to the legends this happens from the beginning of time – the Jorgenwyld believe that they and the Haohaer had always been in Dantir, locked in mortal combat. The only time when the Haohaer were not being fought was when the Jorgenwyld were fighting each other. That changed with the arrival of the Red Sky. The Haohaer vanished for no discernable reason. For a long time the Jorgenwyld did not care that they were gone and never questioned anything concerning them: when your mortal enemy leaves you in peace, you do not question your good fortune! However the departure or extermination of the Haohaer left behind a terrible social vacuum, one that had only been filled by bloodshed. Thus it was that the Jorgenwyld people turned upon themselves. From this carnage and turmoil a leader emerged from among the people, the first Hoog-Bloodheer, Karghan. He turned the people from savages and founded the ways of the Cabalit among them. It changed the course of their civilisation preventing them from warring upon each other and moving them to the conquest of their neighbours. Those that would not join the people would feed the ground. The kingdom of Silacio was the first to fall. They had tried to field united Säuger armies, but nothing could withstand the Jorgenwylder berserkers. They attempted to use strong formations, rows of men with large shields and spears of a length now unheard of. Unfortunately for them they would flee only to be hewn with axe, sword and club. In a rage they were shown no mercy, no kindness, no pity. The next was League of Oikos Nessos. This was a group of likeminded city states that worked together for mutual defence and mercantile strength. However with the destruction of the city state of Orphilia, much of the heart of the league was shattered. Too often allied cohorts would panic and run at the sight of the Jorgenwyld. Though it took several years, Oikos Nessos itself fell to destruction. Pushing further west, the Topacoatl would have been next but unknown to the Jorgenwyld, the Topacoatl were facing their own destruction at the hand of the orax invaders. In the orax the Jorgenwyld found a foe as terrifying as they were. With a seemingly never ending supply of enemies to fight, each as strong and as fierce, the then Hoog-Bloodheer, Borfar, moved the Jorgenwyld away from the orax, allowing the invaders to move further north into the path of the Kenaan. However for the Jorgenwyld they would be stopped again, this time at the grey-stone mountains of the Drummon. In the Drummon, the Jorgenwyld found their opposites, Disciplined compared 35 to their unbridled chaotic fighting styles, defensive instead of aggressive, as immovable as the stone they stood upon. The Jorgenwyld were losing high casualties. Their fighting continued until the arrival of a foreign general named Jeroen. His challenge and defeat of the Hoog-Bloodheer by tradition made him the new Hoog-Bloodheer. It was at this stage when those who were oldest, the Vinas, added their wisdom to the Jorgenwylds’ temper. They upheld the tradition of the Hoog-Bloodheer, stating that only the strongest should lead. The leaders of the other Cabalit met with Jeroen and after a lengthy and violent discussion, they gave their oaths to serve their new Bloodheer. In return, Jeroen gave the Cabalit leaders their independence, and insisted on the warrior’s code to help guide them in their lives. He also asked that the Cabalit listen to the Vinas, for wisdom was as important to the temper of the Jorgenwyld as was its lust for battle. After the truce of nations was called, and Jeroen had all under his command, the Jorgenwyld were given a seat on the council of the High king and were allowed to vote on whom the next king would be. However they were forbidden on making war upon their neighbours. Peace was too important to the nations and the Jorgenwyld relented, especially after being gifted with the power of the guilds and the magics the Eluvians would teach them. Since that time the Jorgenwyld have had an uneasy truce with its neighbours. It borders the unofficial territory of the Orax, making sure to meet any overtures of violence with overwhelming force. It also borders the territories of the Drummon and Randwelt, and is careful not to overtly attack either lands for concern over the retribution such actions. Instead, many Cabalit have taken up hit and run raiding of villages as a means to gather more wealth, food and prestige. Indeed the current Hoog-Bloodheer, Korden, seems to turn a blind eye towards such behaviours, a trend drawing discontent from his allies upon the council. ENVIRONMENT The terrain of Jorgenwyld runs from high mountains down to the sea and lake shores. Generally the land is cool and rugged, in some places with forests and others open moor. Overall the land has not been suitable for large scale agriculture, although it is carried on in some places, especially the south. The shorelines tend to be rugged, but some deep harbors offer access to trade by sea. The Jorgenwyld people conquered the ancient city-states of Oikos Nessos, who constructed ports to take advantage of such harbors. Category:Jorgenwyld Category:Nation